U.S. ship fires toward Iranian boats
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - April 25, 2008 The Western Venture was in international waters in the central
Gulf on Thursday morning when it was approached by two small boats
of unknown origin, said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, a spokeswoman for
the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet.
"Following proper procedures, Western Venture issued standard
queries to the small boats via bridge-to-bridge radio but received
no response," said Robertson. "Western Venture then activated a
flare but again did not receive a response."
The small boats continued toward the ship, and the ship's
security team fired warning shots with .50-caliber machine guns and
M-16s into the water in front of the boats, causing them to leave
the area, said Robertson.
A unit that identified itself as an Iranian Coast Guard vessel
radioed the Western Venture a short time after the incident to
determine its identity, said Robertson.
"It is not clear if this was one of the small boats or a
separate boat," Robertson said.
Oil prices rose sharply on news reports that the boats fired
upon were from Iran. Iran's official Arabic language television
station, Al-Alam, said that the small boats involved in the
incident were not Iranian, citing an unidentified Iranian navy
official.
The Western Venture was carrying military cargo on its way to
Kuwait, said Robertson.
Five small Iranian boats swarmed three U.S. warships in the
Gulf's narrow Strait of Hormuz in early January. The U.S.
commanders did not fire any warning shots despite hearing a radio
call saying the boats would explode, and the Iranians eventually
retreated.
In mid-December, a U.S. ship fired a warning shot at a small
Iranian boat that came too close in the Strait of Hormuz, causing
the Iranians to pull back.